Prayer and Reflections November 29th

                                                           Advent Sunday                                                                                                                         10:30 virtual Service Mr Martyn Filsak                                                                                                   6:30 Service Mr Martin Ryder                                          https://www.valeofstour.org.uk/virtual-church/live/vosworship                                                                                                     Next Sunday 6th December we return to church                                                                                                       Leader Christine

Prayer Dear Father As we start to prepare for the Christmas period Be with us in our thoughts and actions. Help us to dwell on things above and not get lost in all the things that need to be done. Help us to remember that you will meet our every need as we give our lives to you. In your name we pray AMEN.

Prayers for Geoff and family, Geoff is now in Residential Care, Elsie and Jane Elsie tested Positive 

We Remember our friends no longer with us Madeline , Don , Steve Penn T

 Bible Study with Revd Helen As we approach the Advent season Rev Helen Croft is holding an Advent Bible Study on line every Tuesday during the Advent season. for those who may be interested to join in. See Attached This will be held on the Vale of Stour platform and you will find the link below. https://church.valeofstour.org.uk/vosbiblestudy Any queries please contact Rev Helen for more details

FOR REFLECTION: Helen When you screw up a piece of paper it is a mess and takes up lots of space, fold it neatly and it is tidy and takes up less space. If we think about it this is a bit like our jumbled lives if we can keep our thoughts and emotions in check everything is easier to bear but when all our worries and emotions get the better of us and are like a piece of rubbish all screwed up we don’t seem to be able to cope as much. So how do we keep things nice and tidy ? Can anyone say that their life is nice and tidy and nothing ever ruffles them, if you can then I would say count your blessings as that is wonderful, but for most of us we have daily challenges that push us, add to our worries, help scramble our thoughts and this can cause us to be anxious or even out of control. I challenge you to roll up a piece of paper and then to fold one which is the better ? So how can we keep our thoughts nice and tidy and help us not to then overreact to situations that push us or challenge us. Fix our thoughts on things above, keep to the simple things, the important things. Jesus is our Saviour, born for us at Christmas. If we give our burdens to Him, He will help us through it and provide our every need. Philippians 4 verse 19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” So as you start preparing for Christmas don’t let it stress you, don’t let it add to your burdens or challenges – remember to keep things simple “May God will supply all my needs”. “The first Christmas was very simple, It’s ok if yours is too”.

Reflection Hannah I was at TJ Maxx today and heard a loud crash and something shattering. Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering and looking back to the end of the next aisle. When I walked down that aisle, I saw that an older lady had hit a shelf and many things had fallen to the ground and broken. She was kneeling on the floor embarrassed, frantically trying to clean up. I felt so bad for her. Everyone was just standing there staring at her. So I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry and started helping her pick up the broken pieces. After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, “Leave it, we will clean this up.” The lady, totally embarrassed, said, “I need to pay for all this.” The manager smiled, helped her to her feet and said, “No ma’am, we have insurance for this, you do not have to pay anything!” If you have read this far, give me another minute. Wherever you are, close your eyes, and imagine God doing the same for you! Imagine the broken pieces of your mistakes or the pieces of your broken heart from all the blows life has thrown at you all over the floor and you’re there trying to collect all of the pieces and fix them yourself. Now imagine God comes and kneels right down beside you, smiles and says to you, “Leave it all there, I will clean this up for you.” He loves you that much and wants to put all of those pieces back together if you will let Him! With Him we have this insurance and it’s called GRACE! It’s free! All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you, help you, and to heal you. He’s faithful, I promise!

Apologies to those who have already read Hannah’s Reflection on Facebook I felt it needed sharing with all of us. Thank you Hannah for showing practical christianity

Poppy appeal Thank you to everyone who donated to the poppy appeal, we have managed to raise £79.10. Harry Sturman our organiser was really pleased as they had two boxes returned with just 39 pence and 92 pence. We also have to thank Mark for laying the wreath on behalf of Providence. Thank You Mark.

Small Christmas Cakes and bowls of bulbs will be on sale from 13th December, both will be wrapped for Christmas. Please support our J Club as we have missed raising funds from J Club day and the Brunch, and the bulbs have been purchased from J Club funds, please help us to replenish these funds. If you would like to order cakes or bulbs my number is 0770 7067853, Chris. Thanks Chris.

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